European Women's Voice, Spring 2011 (Violence Against Women)
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SPRING 2011 European Women’s Voice The European Women’s Lobby (EWL) is the largest umbrella organisation of women’s associations in the European Union (EU), working to promote women’s rights and equality between women and men. EWL membership extends to organisations in all 27 EU member states and three of the candidate countries, as well as to 21 European-wide bodies, representing a total of more than 2500 organisations. In this issue Violence against Women in the European Union Op-ed Marginalisation and Othering: When ‘Violence against Women’ becomes a Cultural Matter p.03 ••• New Challenges, New Horizons p.06 ••• Turning a Bling Eye: Editorial: Hidden Violence By Rada Boric, Member of the Executive Committee of the European Women’s Lobby against Women in the EU It is a great pleasure for me, on behalf of tion to put an end to this phenomenon p.05 all members of the European Women’s on the part of the EU, which should take ••• Lobby (EWL), to introduce to you the a leadership role in protecting human very first edition of the European Wom- rights, including women’s rights. Structural Violence en’s Voice, the online thematic publica- and Structural tion of the EWL, dedicated to research The aim of this edition of the European Solutions and analysis articles on a given issue. We Women’s Voice is to present an update p.07 have decided to focus the first edition of of a diversity of research and analysis ad- the European Women’s Voice on violence dressing violence against women in the against women, an issue at the core of EU. The following pages demonstrate our activities and those of our member- how women’s rights face new challenges ship, which identified the struggle against and new forms of violence against wom- all forms of male violence against women en have appeared, but also how women’s as the number one priority of the EWL organisations are building new horizons over 2011-2015. Indeed, violence against of action towards a Europe free from women remains the most pervasive vio- male violence against women. Testimo- lation of women’s human rights world- nies and projects will open your eyes to wide and in all countries of the European hidden forms of violence against women, Union (EU). Every day, seven women die despite the illusion of a general aware- from male domestic violence in the EU. ness of the issue in Europe, and demon- The EWL consistently calls for decisive ac- strate the need for persistent and every- 1 European Women’s Voice - SPRING 2011 day vigilance and action on the part of binding instruments to criminally ad- hope that you will enjoy the intellectu- decision-makers. In addition, the ar- dress all forms of violence against al challenge of the articles that follow, ticles of the European Women’s Voice women and strengthen the protection and that reading through them will will provide insight into the structural of all women, a European Year on end- convince you of the urgency of action nature of violence against women and ing violence against women to raise and play a guiding role in defining en- highlight its deep roots in our patriar- awareness and foster prevention, as gaged policies, both at European and chal societies, arguing for structural well as substantial and sustainable EU national levels. solutions. funding to support service providers and build partnership with dedicated There is political momentum at the NGOs. EU level for European action to end violence against women: the European While the EU has taken the lead over Commission has committed to deliv- the last fifty years in promoting wom- ering an EU strategy and action plan, en’s rights related to employment, and both the European Parliament and a strong common policy on violence the Council of the EU have repeatedly against women is still missing. We stated their demands for an EU policy hope that the political work of civil framework on combating violence society organisations and growing evi- against women. The EWL has been dence of the gravity of this phenom- calling for years for such a comprehen- enon will lead to renewed political sive policy framework building on the courage to develop strong and com- international human rights definitions prehensive policies towards the reali- of violence against women. Such a sation of a Europe free from all forms framework should encompass legally- of male violence against all women. I Key dates: 1949: UN Convention for the Sup- the EU’ crimination against them pression of the Traffic in Persons and 2000: UN Protocol to Prevent, Sup- 2009: EP Written Declaration ‘Say NO the Exploitation of the Prostitution of press and Punish Trafficking in Per- to VAW’ Others sons, especially Women and Children 2010: EWL Position Paper ‘Towards a 1979: UN Convention on the Elimi- 2001: EWL report ‘Towards a Com- Europe Free from all Forms of Male nation of all Forms of Discrimination mon Framework to Monitor Progress VAW’ against Women in Combating VAW’ 2010: EC appoints Myria Vassiliadou, 1993: UN General Assembly Declara- 2003: UN Resolution on the Elimina- former EWL Secretary General, first tion on the Elimination of Violence tion of Domestic VAW EU Anti-Trafficking Coordinator against Women (VAW) 2004: Spain passes a model law for 2010: EC Stockholm Action Plan com- 1994: International Conference on combating domestic violence mitting to deliver an EU Strategy on Population and Development and 2005: EWL starts coordination of the combating VAW ICPD Programme of Action Nordic Baltic Network’s Working To- 2010: EP Written Declaration on es- 1995: UN World Conference on gether project (2005-2008) tablishing a European Year of Com- Women & Beijing Platform for Action 2006: EP Resolution on the current bating VAW 1997: EWL founds an Observatory on situation in combating VAW and any 2010: Council Conclusions on the VAW future action Eradication of VAW in the EU 1999: Optional Protocol to the 1979 2006: Joint project of the Coalition 2011: EU Directive on combating UN Convention on the Elimination of against Trafficking in Women and trafficking in human beings all Forms of Discrimination against the EWL on Promoting Preventative 2011: Council of Europe Convention Women Measures to Combat Trafficking in on preventing and combating VAW 1999: Sweden criminalises the pur- Human Beings for Sexual Exploitation and domestic violence chase of sexual services 2007: EWL report ‘Reality Check: 2011: EP Resolution on a new EU pol- 1999: UN designates 25 November when women’s NGOs map policies icy framework to fight VAW as the International Day for the Elimi- and legislation on VAW in Europe’ 2011: EWL launches campaign ‘To- nation of VAW 2008: EU adopts Guidelines for de- gether for a Europe Free From Pros- 1999: EWL report ‘Unveiling the Hid- velopment cooperation on VAW and titution’ den Data on Domestic Violence in girls and combating all forms of dis- 2 3 European Women’s Voice - SPRING 2011 Marginalisation and Othering: When ‘Violence against Women’ Becomes a Cultural Matter By Celeste Montoya (Assistant Professor, University of Colorado, Boulder) and Lisa Rolandsen Agustin (Pos- doctoral Researcher, Aalbord University) Violence against women has been a While addressing the seriousness of the texts of policy documents as well recurring theme on the policy agenda violence against women belonging to as in particular programming practices. of the European Union (EU), showing marginalised groups is an important To examine this trend we focused on up as early as the 1980s in the form part of expanding women’s human three sites of policy discourse: 1) key of soft law European Parliamentary rights, this increased tendency to policy documents over the past three Resolutions and extending into more frame violence against women decades; 2) the Daphne programme, binding texts, funding and large- predominantly in cultural terms and 3) the EU accession process. sale initiatives since the turn of contributes to an ethnocentric and the Century. The issue of violence deterministic understanding of both With regards to general EU policy, against women has been discussed culture and violence against women. documents addressing violence and framed in many ways within This is problematic for two reasons: against women have come primarily the context of the EU: as a problem on the one hand, entire groups are from the European Parliament (in of male dominance and patriarchal stereotyped into a particular (violent) particular from its Committee on structures in society, as a violation of image and the othering of already Women’s Rights and Gender Equality women’s human rights and as a matter marginalised groups is exacerbated; on – now FEMM, previously WRC) and of public ill-health. A relatively new the other hand, cultural explanations the European Commission. These very trend in EU policy discourse is the tend to de-emphasise the pervasive different institutional contexts have framing of violence against women in and gendered nature of violence had important implications for the almost exclusively cultural terms. For against women. In our research on way in which violence against women example, increased emphasis has been policy development within the field has been framed. The earliest policies placed on ‘customary and harmful of EU policies on violence against came in the form of soft law. The practices’, such as honour killings and women, we have found evidence of 1986 ‘Resolution on Violence against female genital circumcision. this rhetorical framing increasingly in Women’ and the 1997 ‘Resolution 2 3 European Women’s Voice - SPRING 2011 on the Need to Establish a European- groups of women differently. Rather This document is designed to guide Wide Campaign for Zero Tolerance than focusing exclusively on ‘cultural Member States in addressing violence on Violence against Women’ were communities’ it calls on Member against women in their external both authored in the Parliament’s States to have regard for ‘the specific relations with other countries.